MOSCOW/BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia said Monday it respects the choice of people in Donetsk and Lugansk regions in Ukraine, who voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence on Sunday, amid continuous rejection and severe criticism from Kiev and Western countries.

"We have taken note of high voter turnout despite attempts to derail the voting and we condemn the force used, including military hardware, against civilians, which lead to fatalities," the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

It added that Russia had been carefully monitoring the preparation and the course of the referenda.

Moscow called for dialogue between Kiev authorities and the two regions, saying "all mediation efforts, including by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, are welcome."

Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the Russian State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, said the referenda "show their (local residents') wish to defend their rights, essentially, their wish to be free."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday blamed the United States and Ukraine for hampering the release of proposals on solving the Ukrainian crisis drafted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"Somebody in Washington and Kiev is against involvement of (East Ukrainian) regions in the dialogue, and this is why the roadmap drawn up by the OSCE chair is not disclosed," he said.

"This is another evidence that Kiev has yet to realize the need to talk to its own people," he added.

Also on Monday, China called for a solution to the Ukrainian crisis under a framework of law and order.

China has always followed the policy of no interference in the internal affairs of others, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a daily press briefing in response to referendums held in the two regions of eastern Ukraine over their future status on Sunday.

Following the Foreign Affairs Council meeting Monday, the European Union said in a statement the referenda in eastern Ukraine was "illegitimate."

For his part, Ukraine's acting President Olexandr Turchynov rejected the referenda, saying the recent events were Russia's plan aimed at destabilizing the situation in his country.

In its Sunday's statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said "the organizers of this criminal farce have violated the constitution and Ukrainian law."

Local residents in Donetsk and Lugansk went to the polls Sunday in separate referenda over the regions' future status. Preliminary returns showed that some 89.07 percent of voters in Donetsk cast ballots in favor of independence from the government in Kiev.

In Lugansk, referendum organizers said about 96 percent of voters backed the region's sovereignty.

According to organizers, the turnout for the referenda in the two regions was 74.87 percent and 75 percent, respectively.

The turnout for the referendum was 74.87 percent, and 10.1 percent voted against independence, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's electoral commission, Roman Lyagin, said late Sunday. Full story

MOSCOW, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Russia said Monday it respects the choice of people in Donetsk and Lugansk regions in Ukraine, while hoping implementation of the referendum results to be processed along civilized lines.

"We have taken note of high voter turnout despite attempts to derail the voting and we condemn the force used, including military hardware, against civilians, which lead to fatalities," the Kremlin press service said in a statement. Full story

KIEV, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian acting President Olexandr Turchynov on Monday rejected referendums in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, in which polls showed around 90 percent of people vote in favor of independence from central government in Kiev.

"The propagandistic farce, which terrorists qualify as the referendum, will have no legal consequences except the criminal responsibility for its organizers," Turchynov was quoted by the parliament' s press service as saying. Full story

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Sunday rejected the referendums being held in two regions of eastern Ukraine over their future status, saying it would not recognize the results.

"As the United States has said, the referendums being planned for May 11 in portions of eastern Ukraine by armed separatist groups are illegal under Ukrainian law and are an attempt to create further division and disorder," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said in a written statement. Full story

LONDON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Sunday said in a statement that it "regrets" the referendum in Ukraine.

Commenting on referendums held Sunday in Ukraine, a FCO spokesperson claimed to be "regrettable," adding that Ukrainians will have "a proper opportunity to express their democratic choice in the forthcoming presidential elections" in Ukraine on May 25. Full story